Type Production Company Founded 2003 | Founders Martin Pope, Michael Rose | |
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Website www.magiclightpictures.com Profiles | ||
Magic Light Pictures is a London based independent production company, which specialises in creating imaginative family entertainment and manages the children’s brand, The Gruffalo. It was founded in 2003 by producers Martin Pope and Michael Rose.
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Productions
Since 2009, Magic Light Pictures has produced four half-hour animated specials based on the bestselling children’s books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: The Gruffalo (2009), The Gruffalo’s Child (2011), Room on the Broom (2012) and Stick Man (2015). The films have won over 40 awards between them, including a Children’s BAFTA and the Prix Jeunesse and have twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Animation. Their most recent production, Stick Man, premiered on BBC One at Christmas 2015 and was watched by 9.28 million viewers.
They are currently producing two half-hour animated specials for BBC One based on Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, due for broadcast at Christmas 2016.
Their feature films include the Oscar nominated Chico & Rita, an animated feature directed by Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba and Tono Errando, winner of the European Film Award for Animated Feature Film 2011; Sparkle starring Bob Hoskins, Lesley Manville and Stockard Channing and Wild Target, a comedy thriller starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint and Rupert Everett, natural history documentary One Life narrated by Daniel Craig.
List of films produced by Magic Light Pictures since its foundation in 2003.
Licensing
Magic Light Pictures runs a comprehensive licensing programme and carries ranges in Sainsbury's, Debenhams, John Lewis, Waterstones, M&S and Mothercare, amongst others.
Having first launched in 2009, the licensing programme is now international, with the second biggest market being Germany, followed by Scandinavia and USA.
The range of products is very varied and includes apparel across toddler and baby, stationery and craft supplies, crockery and lunchboxes, giftware, greetings cards, games and puzzles, dress up and partyware. Magic Light are currently launching a range of Gruffalo foods which includes party cakes, seasonal chocolates, juice drinks and potato snacks.
Apps
Since 2013, Magic Light Pictures has developed a range of digital games, based on The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man.
Producer Placement Programme
Magic Light Pictures in conjunction with Skillset also ran 6 month producer placement programmes from 2008 to 2010.The programme took up and coming feature film producers and put them into a series of work placements in leading companies in the British Film Industry.